Machine for digging beets.



No. 813,978. PATENTED FEB. 27, 1906.- A. H. KRAMER.

MACHINE FOR DIGGING BEETS.

A'PPLIGATIGN FILED mm; 30, 1905.

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WITNESSES. INVENTOR ATTQRIV c" 6- tax] PATENTED FEB. 27, 1906.

A. H. KRAMER. MACHINE FOR DIGGING BEETS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, 1905.

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flllllllllllllllllllllll UVVEN 70R Jyaz'nyfanjfjframer ATTORNEYS UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

MACHINE FOR DIGGING BEETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, 1906.

Original application filed July 21, 1904, Serial No.-217,499. Dividedand this application filed June 30, 1905. Serial No. 267,742.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALLINGTON H. KRA- MER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Monte Vista, in the county of Rio Grande andState of Colorado, have invented 'a new and Improved Machine for DiggingBeets, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,the same being a division of the application for a device for diggingand topping beets for which Letters Patent were granted to me July 11,1905, N0. 794,514.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a simple, light, durable, andeconomical machine embodying devices for automatically lifting beetsfrom the ground in a manner which will not materially injure them, aconveyer which receives the uprooted beets, and an elevator device whichreceives the beets from the conveyer and delivers them to any desiredreceptacle.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying'drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine embodying my invention. Fig.2 is a plan view of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is 1 alongitudinal vertical section through the machine, illustrating itsoperation. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the share for uprooting thebeets and a portion of the machine which sup orts said share, to getherwith a portion of t e conveyer. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view ofthe uprooting-share viewed from the rear, and Fig. 6 is a plan view of aportion of the conveyer.

An axle 10 is shown which carries two supporting-wheels 11, andthese'wheels are secured to said axle. The axle 10, which is the rearaxle of the machine, is provided with a sleeve 12, loosely mountedthereon, and this sleeve has a clutch-surface 13 at one end, adapted tobe engaged by the members of a clutch 14, having feathered connectionwith the said axle 10, therefore having sliding movement on the saidaxle and being arranged to turn therewith. This clutch 14 is operated toand from the clutch-face of the sleeve 12 by means of a lever 15, havingthe usual connection with the clutch, and this lever is pivotallymounted on an extension 18 from the left-hand side of the side pieces 19of the main frame of the machine. These side pieces 19 are provided withbearings 20, (best shown in Fig. 3,) located between their centers andupper ends, in which bearings the rear axle 10 is journaled. These sideor cheek pieces 19 of the main frame extend downward from a point abovethe rear axle 10 in direction of the ground or surface over which themachine is to be drawn.

Each side or check piece 19 of the main frame is provided with an upperforwardlyextending section 20, (best shown in Figs. 1 and 3,) and at theupper portion of each cheek or side piece 19 of the main frame, near itsupper edge, a curved slot 21 is produced, and a spindle 22 is passedthrough the said slots 21, which spindle is connected with beams A,located one at each side of the said main frame. The said beams A areadjacent to the outer faces of the side or cheek pieces 19 of the mainframe, and the said beams A are curved downwardly and rearwardly andapproach the lower portion of the cheek-pieces 19 of the main frame,being practically pivoted thereto. I

With reference to the support for the forward portion of the machine twoforward wheels 23 are employed, which are secured upon an axle 24, andthis axle is journaled in the downwardly-extending extremities of a yoke25. The forward portions of the beams A are connected by a cross-bar 26,in which cross-bar the king-bolt or pivot-pin 27 for the yoke 25 ispivoted, so that the said forward axle may be canted to one side or theother. The said king-bolt 27 likewise carries a clutch 27 whichpivotally receives the tongue or pole of the draft device.

The plow C, employed to dislodge the beets from the ground, is bestshown in Figs. 2, 4, and 5. This plow is a shovel or scoop plow, and isattached to the main frame by means of a shaft 29, which'is passedthrough the lower portion of the plow at the rear and through theforward lower portion of the cheeks 19 of the said main frame, andusually the shaft 29 serves to pivot the lower ends of the beams A; butit will be understood that the said plow C may be otherwise attached tothe said main frame.

In the detail construction of the shovel or scoop plow C it is somewhatconcaved, as is best shown in Fig. 2, and the'sides of the scoopdiminish toward the point, as shown in Fig. 5.

When going to the field or when leaving the same, the plow C is raisedsufficiently to prevent it engaging with the ground or with ordinaryprotuberances therefrom, and the forward portion of the main frame isalso elevated, through the medium of a lever 30, lo cated at theleft-hand side of the drivers seat 31. The lever is attached to a shaft32 at the outside of the cheek 19 of the main frame, and said lever 30is provided with a thumblatch adapted for engagement with a suitablerack 33. The lever 30 is provided with a straight lower section 34, andlinks 35 are made to engage with the connecting-bar 22 for the beamAoutside of the cheek-pieces1 9, as isbest shown in Fig. 2, and saidlinks in their turn are connected with arms 32, secured at the outerends of the shaft 32 and also outside of the said cheek-pieces. Thuswhen the forward wheels 23, which serve as a fulcrum for the lever 30,are forced. forward the connecting bar 22, traveling up the inclinedplanes formed by the curved slots 21, will cause the forward portion ofthe main frame to be carried downward, the said frame turning on theaXle 10 as a pivot. Under such conditions it is obvious that the share 0will be made to enter the ground to a greater or lesser extent,according to the manipulation of the lever30.

Gear-wheels 36 are located on the axle 10, both of said gears beingsecured to the sleeve 12, carried by the said axle. The said wheels 36may be of any desired size, and they are located outside of the mainframe.

A conveyer D is employed in connection with the machine. This conveyeris generally known as a chain or link elevator, and the links d of thechain are constructed as is shown in Fig. 6, wherein it will be observedthat the conveyer or elevator is made up of a series of wire members ofsuitable gage so connected one with the other as to have not only apivotal or substantially yielding contact, but so as to provide a seriesof upwardly-extending members (1.

The conveyer is made to pass over sprocketwheels 37, located upon ashaft 38 at the bottom front portion of the main frame, and over largersprocket-wheels 39, carried by a shaft 40, located at the upper portionof the main frame, as is particularly shown in Fig. 3. The shaft 40 isprovidedwith pinions 41, and the said pinions 41 engage with the gears36, as is shown in Fig. 2. Thus it will be observed that when theshifting-lever 15 is operated, carrying the clutches 14 from engagementwith the sleeve 12, the conveyer will not be operated; but when theclutch 14 engages with the corresponding surface of the sleeve 12 theconveyer D will be placed in action.

Suitable friction-rollers 42 are mounted on the inner faces of the sidesof the cheek-pieces of the main frame to in a measure support the upperstretch of the conveyer D.

At the rear of the implement an elevator E is supported in any suitableor approved manner, being adapted to receive the beets carried from theground by the conveyer D, and to that end the said elevator E consistsof a boot-section e and a delivery-section e. In the boot or receivingsection 6 of the elevator an opening 44 is made opposite the deliveryend of the conveyer D, and in this boot or re ceiving section e of theelevator an endless belt 45 is made to travel over upper sprocket wheelsor pulleys 46 and lower sprocket wheels or pulleys 47. This belt isprovided with flights 48, which may be in the nature of cups ortransversely-arranged plates. At the upper end of the boot or receivingsection of the said elevator E an opening 49 is formed, which places theupper portion of the boot or receiving section. 6 of the elevator inconnection with the discharging-section e, which latter is open at itslower end. A hinge is preferably provided at the top portion of thereceiving-section e to permit the dischargingsection 6 to be swung toeither side of the machine to deliver the beets into a wagon drawn bythe side of the machine.

The movable parts of the elevator are driven, preferably, in thefollowing manner: A sprocket-wheel 50 is secured to the rear axle 10 atits right-hand portion, and a chain belt 51 is carried over thissprocket-wheel 50 and is then passed over a smaller sprocketwheel 52,located on an axle 53, carried by the right-hand side portion of theelevator E, and on this same axle 53 a pinion 54 is secured, whichmeshes with a correspondingly-formed pinion 55, secured on the shaftcarrying the lower pulleys 47 for the endless belt of the elevator. Thusit will be observed under this construction that when the conveyer D isstopped the action of the carrying-belt in the elevator is likewisestopped, and, in fact, both of said parts act in unison and aresimultaneously set in motion.

The plow C and parts intimately associated therewith may be termed anupturning device.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent In a machine for lifting beets out of the ground, anaxle, supporting-wheels secured to the axle, a sleeve loosely mounted onthe said axle, having a clutch-surface at one end, a clutch operating onthe axle and arranged for engagement with the clutch-surface of the saidsleeve, gears secured on the sleeve and axle, a frame mounted to turn onthe axle between the said gears, the said frame being provided withopposing segmental slots, beams located at the outer portions of thesaid frame, the rear ends of the said beams tion of the plow extends,substantially as de- 10 being curved downwardly and forwardly; ascribed.

shaft connectin said beams and carried In testimony whereof I havesigned my through the sai slots in the frame, a lever name to thisspecification in the presence of operatively connected with the frameand two subscribing witnesses.

with the said connecting-shaft for the beams, ALLINGTON H. KRAMER.

a shovel or scoop plow carried by the lower Witnesses: portion of thesaid beams, and an elevator JAMES P. VEERKAMP, carried by the saidframe, over which a por- JOHN H. DEEDS.

